Writers flourish in Seattle like evergreen trees. Here are a few places and stories to start your local literary journey.
To get in a Seattle mood, check out these locally themed books by Seattle-based authors:
Fiction
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (2012)
A sly, clever satire of Seattle’s privileged tech class.
Night Hawks by Charles Johnson (2018)
Seattle is the setting for several stories in this collection by one of America’s most esteemed writers.
The Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton (2019)
The narrator, a wise-cracking crow, looks on as the humans of Seattle fall apart around him—literally.
The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher (2020)
The usually tranquil Green Lake neighborhood is the setting for an edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Nonfiction
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (2013)
The inspiring story of the University of Washington crew team that captured gold at the 1936 Olympics.
Shrill by Lindy West (2016)
A funny, irreverent memoir from a former columnist for the alternative weekly The Stranger.
The Lines That Make Us by Nathan Vass (2018)
A longtime bus driver recounts stories from his route, capturing what makes Seattle special along the way.
Seismic: Seattle, City of Literature edited by Kristen Millares Young (2021)
This essay collection, inspired by UNESCO designating Seattle a “City of Literature,” asks diverse voices to contemplate what that designation means.
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